Texas Democratic Party

The Texas Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the US state of Texas. The party was the first major American party to gain strength in Texas after its 1845 annexation into the United States, and it supported states' rights in the years leading up to the American Civil War. During Reconstruction, two Republican Party politicians served as governor, but Democrats controlled the Governor's Mansion from 1874 to 1979 after federal troops withdrew. However, the strong anti-Catholicism felt by conservative southern whites in Texas led to the state voting Democratic in 1928, as they did not want to vote for the Irish-Italian Democratic nominee Al Smith. During the 1950s, the Texas Democratic Party suffered from infighting between the liberal and conservative wings of the party, and Jimmy Carter (in 1976) was the last Democratic presidential nominee to carry the state of Texas in an election (as of 2016). In 1978, Bill Clements secured the governorship, shattering 104 years of Democratic control. The 1990s saw the Republicans gain a large foothold in politics, and they became dominant in the 21st century. By the 2010s, most Texan Democrats were liberal Hispanics living along the border with Mexico or African-Americans and Hispanics living in cities, and the party held 11/31 State Senate seats and 55/150 State House of Representatives seats in 2017.